For Morningstar, I'm Jeremy Glaser. Welcome to The Week Ahead, our quick take on what investors should have on their radar screens for the week starting Dec. 7.

After a deluge of data last week, things should begin to quiet down in the coming days.

Costco reports earnings on Tuesday. The firm's previously released same-store sales results show the retailer continues to perform better than its peers, who have been having a tougher time recently. But analyst Ken Perkins warns that this outperformance is already priced into the shares.

Retail sales data was disappointing last month, and all eyes will be on Friday's report to get a glimpse of the state of the consumer. Morningstar's Bob Johnson warns, though, that this report is difficult to interpret because the data is not adjusted for inflation and doesn't fully take into account weather patterns and new retail channels. So make sure to look past the headline number before concluding the consumer is in trouble or that spending is off to the races.

Other economic data due this week include job opening, the producer price index, and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index.

Stay tuned to Morningstar for our take on all of these stories throughout the week.